God reveals Himself in creation and Scripture. He speaks through His created world. He speaks through His written Word. God is always speaking. He is never silent. Through His created world, God is speaking to us – every day, every night. He is showing us His glory (Psalm 19:1-2). He makes us aware of His presence. He whets our appetite for His written Word. The Scriptures lead us to Christ. Through faith in Him, we receive salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Christ is the high-point of God’s revelation. He is the living Word (John 1:1,14). The testimony of the Psalmist – ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul’(Psalm 19:7) – becomes real for us through faith in Christ – ‘I came to Jesus…My soul revived and now I live in Him’(Church Hymnary, 540). Make it real. Come to Christ. Come alive in Him!
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
“By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith”
“It is by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). By grace, we are in Christ. Through faith, we are in Christ.
* “He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock” – This is grace.
* “Rock opf ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee” – This is faith.
Grace and faith belong together.
- We are not saved by grace apart from faith.
- We are saved by grace through faith.
The grace of God reaches us as we receive Jesus Christ in faith.
- We are not saved by faith apart from grace.
- We are saved by grace through faith.
Faith has no meaning in itself. Faith finds its meaning only in relation to the grace of God. Faith is God’s way for us to come to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.
“By grace you have been saved through faith” – This is the Christian’s unshakeable foundation. With this unshakeable foundation, the Christian can face the attacks of the enemy with confidence.
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God’s Way of Salvation (Psalm 11)
Feeding on Jesus - The Bread Of Life
Jesus said, ‘I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’(John 6:35). Jesus had enemies - ‘The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, “I am the bread which comes down from heaven”’(John 6:41). Christ’s enemies are still with us. They ‘murmur among themselves’(John 6:43). How are we to respond to this situation? We must feed on Jesus Christ, ‘the Living Bread’(John 6:51). Whatever difficulties we may face, the Lord provides for us: ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies’(Psalm 23:5). We have His invitation: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good!’(Psalm 34:8). With His provision and invitation, let us make our response: ‘We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, and long to feast upon Thee still’(Church Hymnary, 571).
Jesus At The Home of Martha And Mary
Jesus had a meal at the home of Martha and Mary. We can compare this meal to the Lord's Supper. Martha concentrated on the meal. Mary concentrated on the Lord. In the Lord's Supper, we have bread and wine. That's not all that we have. There's more than bread and wine. There's Jesus. Jesus came to the home of Martha and Mary. In Mary, we see what it means to come to the Lord. We are to come to Him with a deep desire to be near to Him. The Lord has come to us. Let us come to Him. Let us come to Him with humility, confessing that we have sinned against Him. Let us come to Him with thanksgiving, rejoicing that that our Lord Jesus Christ has borne our sins so that we might receive His salvation. Let us come to Him with a hungry heart, longing that we may be fed by Him. Let us come with dedication, committing our lives to the Lord that we might live as His disciples. Let us come to Him with praise, giving glory to the Lord for all that he has done for us. Let us do "the one thing needful": Come to Jesus Come to Him with humility, with thanksgiving, with a hungry heart, with dedication, with praise.
Human Love And Divine Love
When I am conducting a wedding service, I speak to the couple about two kinds of love - human love and divine love. I emphasize that our love for one another grows stronger when it is grounded in God's love for us. Jesus speaks about human love and divine love. he tells us that we are to "love our enemies" (Luke 6:27). He tells us that our love for our enemies is to be grounded in God's love for sinners: "The Most High is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:35-36). God has shown His love for us. We are to show His love to others. While we were His enemies - sinners who had rebelled against Him, He loved us and gave His Son to die on the cross for us as our Saviour.
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Here's a link for the rest of this sermon: Sermons on Luke's Gospel - Luke 6:27-36
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Here's a link for the rest of this sermon: Sermons on Luke's Gospel - Luke 6:27-36
"When We Sin ... "
When we sin, we must trust in our Redeemer. Be still and know that He is God.
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Job 34:21-35:16
‘If you have sinned’ (35:6). Let’s think about Job, Jesus and ourselves. (a) ‘Job feared God and shunned evil’ (1:1). He was not being singled out for special punishment - because he was much more sinful than anyone else. This does not mean he had never sinned (7:21; 13:26). (b) There is only One Man ‘without sin’ - our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). Did this mean that Jesus did not suffer? No! - ‘He suffered for us...He bore our sins...He died for us...He died for our sins’ (1 Peter 2:21-24; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3). (c) There’s no ‘if’ about it! When we sin - What are we to do? Like Job, we must trust in our ‘Redeemer’ - the Lord Jesus Christ (19:25). He gives ‘quietness’ and ‘songs in the night’ (34:29; 35:10). ‘Be still and know that He is God. Shout for joy to Him’ (Psalms 46:10; 98:4).
Even In Our Wanderings, God Is Waiting, In Mercy, For Us To Make Our Way Back To Him.
In the story of Cain, we see the development of sin. Jealousy leads to anger, and anger leads to murder. In this story, we see ourselves in the ‘mirror’ of God’s Word. Here, God emphasizes our exceeding sinfulness - ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt’ (Jeremiah 17:9). Our sinfulness leads us away from ‘the presence of the Lord’ to ‘the land of wandering (Nod)’ (Genesis 4:16). This is the work of Satan in our lives - Genesis 4 is an extension of Genesis 3. Even in the land of wandering, the hand of God is upon us. This is the meaning of ‘the mark of Cain’ - ‘so that no one who found him would kill him’ (Genesis 4:15). Even in our wanderings, God is waiting in mercy for us to make our way back to Him by coming in faith to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Even when ‘sin’ is a good bit more than ‘crouching at the door’, it can be ‘mastered’ through Christ (Genesis 4:6; Hebrews 7:25).
"God's love ... "
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
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Psalm 78:40-72
‘He brought His people out like a flock; He led them like sheep through the desert’ (52). The Lord brought His people out of Egypt. He brought them safely through the wilderness to ‘His holy land’ (42-43,51,54-55). He did great things for Israel. He does great things for us - ‘He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake’ (23:3). Through faith in our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we have ‘peace with God’. Our sins have been forgiven. We now ‘stand’ in His ‘grace’. In our new life with Him, there will be times of ‘suffering’. None of us is exempt from suffering. It comes to all of us - without exception. In your suffering, remember this: We will not be disappointed in ‘our hope of sharing the glory of God’ - ‘God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit...’ (Romans 5:1-5).
"We Are Not To Live ... "
We are not to live for this world only. We have a higher calling - "the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
"Jesus Is The King ... "
Jesus is the King of love. Let us give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of kings.
"Christ Is Our Wisdom ... "
Christ is our Wisdom: the Way to wisdom, the Truth on which wisdom builds and the Life built on wisdom.
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This thought is taken from
Isaiah 28:23-29:16
'The wisdom of the wise will perish' (29:14). There is another 'wisdom', a 'wisdom' which shall not perish, a 'wisdom' which is 'wiser than man's wisdom'. Christ is 'the Wisdom of God' (1 Corinthians 1:24-25). With Christ as our Saviour, we 'shall not perish'. Through faith in Him, we receive the 'wisdom' which brings 'salvation' (John 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:15). Jesus Christ is 'the Way, the Truth and the Life' (John14:6). He is the Way to true wisdom. He is the Truth upon which true wisdom is based. He is the Life which is based on true wisdom. He is true Wisdom. We must not seek wisdom apart from faith in Jesus Christ - 'the world did not know God through wisdom'. There is one true wisdom which does 'not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God' - faith in 'Christ crucified' (1 Corinthians 1:21-23; 2:1-5).
The Discipline Of Discipleship (2)
When Paul spoke of the discipline of discipleship, he compared it to the discipline of the athlete: "Do you not know that, in a race, all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). For the athlete and the disciple, the prize is different. Both require the same commitment - "self-control in all things." Paul committed himself to the discipline of discipleship - " I pummel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified (laid aside as of no further use)" (1 Corinthians 9:27). How much do you and I know about the discipline of discipleship? If we are to be true disciples of Christ, it will only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit: "God did not give us the spirit of fear, but the Spirit of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7). When we are controlled by the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be both blessed by God and used by God.
The Birth Of Our Saviour (6)
As we look to the words of Isaiah 61:1-3, words which Jesus Himself used to describe His ministry, we discover that the Lord Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, began His ministry with a profound awareness of the power of the Holy Spirit in His life: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me" (v. 1). When we ask the question, "What did Jesus do while He was on earth?", we find a helpful summary in these verses. Without looking at each phrase in detail, we might draw special attention to these phrases: Jesus came "to bring good tidings", "to give ... the oil of gladness" and "the mantle of praise" (vs. 1, 3).
The Birth Of Our Saviour (5)
Jesus Christ is alive today. He is with us now. He wants to draw out, from our hearts, the confession of faith, "My Lord and my God." He wants to give us the peace which comes from knowing that our sins have been forgiven. He wants to give us the hope which comes from receiving the gift of eternal life. He wants to be our Friend, leading us ever more deeply into a closer friendship with Him.What will be your response to Jesus Christ? He stands among us, calling for the response of faith?
The Birth Of Our Saviour (4)
As we learn of Jesus' mighty resurrection from the dead, we come to think of Him in a different way. He is different from other characters from the past. We no longer ask the question, "Who was Jesus?" We ask, "Who is Jesus? In Isaiah 9:6, we have a tremendous description of Jesus Christ - "His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." If, after reading this amazing description of Jesus Christ, we are still tempted to think of Him as no more than a figure from the past, we must go on to read the first few words of verse 7 - "Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end."
Christ’s Journey Into Our Lives
Christ's journey into our lives is beautifully described in the words of the Christmas carol, “O little town of Bethlehem”: “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.” Jesus’ way is so unlike the way of the world. He is not demonstrative. He is not showy. He does not make a fuss. There is nothing spectacular about His way with us. There is nothing sensational about His entrance into our lives. The world, obsessed with the dramatic, might say of Jesus’ way, “How cold! How unexciting! How uneventful! How unimpressive!” Let us not be preoccupied with outward appearances. Let us recognize the presence of Christ in the quiet way - “No ear may hear His coming.” This is Christ’s way with the “meek soul”. Let us not think that Christ is brash and insensitive. He does not disregard our temperament and personality. He does not ignore our natural feelings. He does not take delight in embarrassing us.
Christ’s Journey To The Cross
God restores the fallen. God gives a new beginning. These lessons are emphasized even more strongly when we turn our attention to Christ’s Journey to the Cross. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, there is the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day. These religious leaders were so proud of themselves, so proud of their religion, so proud of their morality. One instance of this conflict concerned “a woman caught in the very act of adultery” (John 8:3).”The scribes and the Pharisees” despised the poor woman. They were arrogant in their condemnation of her - “this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery” (John 8:4). They brought the woman to Jesus for one reason only. They brought her to Jesus for condemned. Jesus, however, did not condemn her. No condemnation! Forgiveness! This is the Good News of God’s grace. The scribes and the Pharisees saw the woman as a no-hoper. She was beyond hope - so they thought! They wanted to stone her. With one simple yet devastating sentence, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). With the strikingly simple and devastatingly direct sentence, Jesus brought the proud accusers down to earth - “when they heard it, they went away, one by one” (John 8:9). Jesus was left alone with the woman. He did not condemn her, but He did say to her, “Do not sin again” (John 8:9-11). This conflict continued throughout Jesus’ life as He made His way to the Cross. The scribes and the pharisees sent Christ - the sinless Son of God - to the Cross. There Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them … “.
The Uniqueness Of Christ (1)
People did not know what to make of Jesus. They tried to understand Him by comparing Him with famous figures from the recent and more distant past - ‘ John the Baptist … Elijah … Jeremiah or one of the prophets’. Into this situation of confusion came something new, something different - ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Where did this come from? It came from God - ‘flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’ (Matthew 16:14,16-17). What we have here is divine revelation. Our thinking about Jesus is not to be limited by what people say about Him. We must listen to what God says about Him - ‘This is My beloved Son’ (Matthew 3:17).
"Wonderful Grace Of Jesus, Greater Than All My Sin" (3)
In ourselves, convicted of our sin, we feel that there is no hope. As the Spirit works in our hearts, we are able to look to Christ in faith. As we come to Him, we see how wonderful the love of God is. We think, "The Lord could never accept me after what I have done." Jesus says, "Those who come to Me, I will never turn away" (John 6:37). "Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin; How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall my praise begin?"
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